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This will probably go on record for the thing I’ve posted on that I have the least “right” to talk about. But I’ve read a few posts lately from “frustrated single woman, some I know, and some I don’t. And some of the points they raise seem a little odd… like “I don’t lack something. I don’t need to fix something in order to be worthy of a relationship.”

She was saying that in response to her previous thought pattern of “what’s wrong with me.” I may raise a point that (disclaimer: I don’t know her at all) if you gripe in real life about being single the way you seem to be bitter on your blog…that could be something worth fixing? Another single gal acquaintance of mine, had a mentality of wanting to get married, yet she was hostile when single guys didn’t want to be her friend and hang out all the time…Shocking? not really. If they don’t want to pursue you then, it’s really to risky to try to be “just friends” And from talking to the single guy friends I have…well they aren’t fans, it’s more than a little unattractive, the whole, woe is me…

Advice #1. Don’t be a negative Nancy

In marriage counseling I was told, that if you would describe yours spouse as a negative person, you need to seriously reconsider if you want to marry them. Strong words, but they rang true, and I’ve never forgotten them. When my husband calls me out on being negative it snaps me out of a funk most times. The last thing I want to be (whether portrayed or actually be) is negative. We have been given the greatest gift ever to be given, Jesus’ blood covers everything, so for us to actually be described as a negative person or have a negative demeanor… Not a good thing friends.

Negativity is insulting to our Lord and Savior and is unattractive. We’ve recently had two single women in our church move away. No huge explanation or to-do. both just announced they were moving, and left, each a few months apart. One of the problems is that they felt they didn’t have any connections or many friendships (or maybe it was lack of eligible bachelors, who knows.) But if it truly was about the lack of friendships, well. they could have called me? Both worked incredibly strange schedules and it was nearly impossible to know when/if they are free. Not to say I couldn’t have tried harder, I could have. But they never initiated anything…I dunno, I consider myself a very social person, but I’ve accepted that 7-8 times out of 10. I’ll be the one initiating, people are busy and if I want to hang out with someone (or anyone) I make it happen.

I know it can be challenging to step out of your comfort zone and initiate. But I just can’t have that much sympathy for people who continually whine about people not doing the very thing they themselves refuse to do. It was like the first thing we learned as kids “want a friend, be a friend.”

This post is getting a little long, I’m going to break it up. so ya. don’t be negative. Everything (singleness and all) is small potatoes compared to knowing God, it just it. If that isn’t enough to put in perspective well…God help us all. I have some practical tips coming too!

One of the great things about facebook is seeing friends that go to other churches post on various sermons and what not that you wouldn’t normally see. So a facebook rabbit hole later, I came across this video, part four of a sermon series that I think a lot of us can really relate to. “What People hate about the Bible”

so ya, watch it. I’ve only seen this one, I can assume parts 1-3 are pretty amazing too.

“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

—–C.S. Lewis

Isn’t that quote great? And so true. So why is my name “Uncomfortable Christian”? I want to clarify a few things, I’m not “uncomfortable” around homosexuals in some sort of homophobic way, I’m not “uncomfortable” around people who have had abortions in a judgmental hateful way, I’m not “uncomfortable” around liberals because of their heathen ways (kidding, not all are heathens.) What I am uncomfortable around, is the blatant double standards, the huge angry confrontations, hypocrisy, people blame shifting and completely missing the point. People saying they want diversity but not extending that to Christians, wanting free speech but cutting out the Bible. And that feeling like you can’t talk about it without being labeled as hateful.

When did me disagreeing with you turn into hate?

Ah, uncomfortable subjects…but what are we missing?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is a foundational principle af Christianity, probably the one set of verses almost the whole world can agree on. And yet it gets lost. Love gets lost in disagreements, people trying to “prove” or be “right” disagreements are read as Hate, Actual people get so outraged by certain sin they are hateful. What could possibly be further from the truth of What God said and the example Jesus set for us?

1 John 4:20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

Jesus goes even further to state in Matthew 5, comparing anger (and hatred) with murder. Christians being equated with hate, hurts me down to my core. I saw a bumper sticker ont he way to work toady that said “Hate is not afmily value.” It’s targeted against us a s Christians and that saddens me. The fact the the modern Christian church has ever portrayed anything but love saddens me. Because what it all comes down to is this: Have they accepted the love of God and forgiveness of Jesus for their sins, have they repented, & confessed? Because it’s a yes or no answer. I do believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven and the only way to have real meaning here on earth. Debates on “inexcusable” sins or lifestyle choices really, are in one sense irrelevant. The atheist Gay man is not going to Hell “faster” than the atheist straight one. The woman who had an abortion (and proud of it, gosh darn it) is not on God’s blacklist anymore than I am for lying/coveting/stealing or disrespecting my parents.

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Perspective people, perspective. I had toyed with the idea of starting a blog like this on and off for awhile, but It wasn’t until I finally sat down and watched this series of 3 videos HERE. That I couldn’t get it out of my head, so this blog was born the next day. I really encourage you to watch them. I think Doug Wilson is a great speaker, makes some excellent points(whether or not you agree with them.) The first 2 videos are part 1 & part 2 of a lecture he did in a auditorium at Indiana University. The 3rd video (2 hours long!) is a Q&A session. Note: lots of interruption/heckling/cussing etc.

As of right now, I plan on sharing as little about myself as possible. I really need to feel that anonymity in order to feel like I can say whatever I want about these subjects without fear of repercussion. I attended a state university, which across the board seem to be pretty democratic and liberal as it is (oh ya, I’m conservative, politically speaking, too) pare down to a design/art school which I attended. Creative degrees are even more liberal & democratic as a general rule. But I made it. I graduated and (as far as I know) not that many people hated me. Upon graduation, I find myself in the industry. which is (surprise, surprise) super liberal & democratic. Also in this creative field (and many others I’m sure) the lines between professional and personal get awfully blurry. Now my fellow alum, other connections, friends of friends, professors, past and present co-workers and employers. All these people in this creative industry who are (in general) super liberal & democratic.

See where I’m coming from? I feel trapped in my social media: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest even. I feel scrutinized and under the light, like I can’t say what I want. And in this community where I’m trying to make a living, is a community where people can, do and have been blacklisted, everything is about who you know and how much they like you.

I have no proof of this and yes, maybe it’s reaching but I was let go at a job. I was there for under a year, and the reason I was “let go” was financial. I was blessed and got a job immediately (literally started the monday after my last day of friday, Praise Jesus.) And it wasn’t until a few months later that I questioned the validity of it. Because a few months later, my boss hired someone else. Someone Democratic and liberal. You can’t say he didn’t know because my boss (being the outspoken small biz owner he is) literally asked me in my interview three laughable inappropriate questions. 1. My Political stance, 2. My religious beliefs and 3. “I see you’re married, you aren’t going to get pregnant soon are you?” 1. Republican 2. Christian and 3. Umm…Not planning on it? With each of the first 2 answers he responded with oh, we’re all Obama lovers here, and oh, we’re all atheists here. Concerting yes, but I still wanted the job and he hired my anyways, I was my non-confrontation self, I had a few meaningful conversations when my co-workers asked, and I made no attempts at hiding my beliefs but I was definitely passive about it.

Regardless, if I had thought about being more outspoken religiously or politically in social media or “creative” social situations, that was now squelched.

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I feel like it’s all inside, bubbling out. I’m terrified to start debates, talking about it at work (unsked, unsolicited) seems odd, even though other people have no problem talking to each other. I’m terrified to blast over my facebook. It’s pretty heated dinner table conversation By nature I’m anti-confrontational, I feel like I’m not smart enough, not researched enough, don’t know greek etc. etc. It’s intimidating to “get into” such polarizing arguments. Even though. I truly believe it all boils down to What does the Bible say.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

SO awesome, guess I don’t need a theology dress after all. Because I have the power of Christ dwelling in me. But this is the beginning, As I age I do hope to continue to grow spiritually, learn, research and find more of a “voice.” But right now, I’m feeling good about saying what I want to say in an anonymous way. So hear that world?! I have some convictions and I’m gonna talk er type about them.

Well, I do have the right of free speech. Although I recently watched a video in which a Pastor addresses diversity and communication and said (half in jest) there seems to be 2 tenants 1. Absolute commitment to free speech 2. shut up. This is something I have experienced personally. An attitude of “if you agree with me, say something, if you don’t ‘shut up & stop imposing your beliefs'”, as if my words are going to drag someone down a path they don’t want to go.

As far as my background goes. I was raised Christian, which (also from my experience) seem to give me less klout. Sometimes it feels as though people are thinking I’m a brainwashed, sheltered nobody who “was raised” this way and therefore lost her ability to think for herself. Which is insulting, first of all, and not true. Show me an adult Christian that hasn’t thought through what it means to be one, regardless of upbringing. We live in a world that, let’s be honest, would be amazingly easier to roll with the norms. To not cause a rukus, to agree with the “universal” train of thought. It’s not easy being a Christian and if you think it is. I invite you to come try it. anytime.

I was raised Christian, non-denominational. Plain Christian. Once I got a little I began to gradually “come into my own” I guess, become more responsible for my own life and decisions. And now, I daily make that choice to continue. I wholeheartedly believe that everything the Bible says is true and that Jesus did in fact die for my sins, he made the ultimate sacrifice and he never promised that this life is easy. I won’t stop following him just because it’s hard. I will say that having a Christian family does lessen the dinner table debates somewhat, which I am grateful for.

Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”